. . World News – US – U. . S.. . Expand stay-home orders; Vaccine panel hits: virus update

An advisory body to the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing the Pfizer Inc. Developed Covid-19 vaccine. and BioNTech SE after more than 3. 000 U. . S.. . Deaths in a single day added urgency to the country using its first vaccine. New York is approaching dangerous territory, with coronavirus cases just short of the state’s worst daily record, Jan.. April lie.

Virginia announced a limited nightly stay home order after reporting record daily cases this week. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said December was an « extremely critical » month as the state extended its curfew through January. 2. A U. . S.. . The pilots union called for priority access to vaccines for cockpit crews, saying their protection was vital to the distribution effort.

France, the country with the largest number of confirmed cases in Europe, has withdrawn plans to reopen its theaters, museums, cinemas and sports facilities next week.

Governor Mike DeWine said that state health officials are extending a 10 p. m. up to 5 a. m. Ohio curfew until Jan. . 2, to limit social gatherings in and out of people’s homes while waiting for a vaccine.

« We believe the curfew along with the wearing of masks had an impact and the next 21 days are extremely critical, » DeWine said on Twitter. “We all have to do everything we can to slow the virus down. ”

Today we released a new #StaySafeOhio protocol. These are the steps we all ask to help Ohio get through this critical time as well as possible. image. Twitter. com / cbhndZrMid

While the number of ICU patients with Covid-19 has increased 23% in the state in the past 21 days, it has decreased 2% in the past week, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a « modified stay at home order, » requiring people to stay at home from midnight to 5 a.m.. m, with exceptions such as grocery shopping, business travel and medical emergencies, Monday through January. 31. Virginia had a record of 4 the day before. 398 new cases.

« If you don’t have to go out, go home, » Northam said at a press conference. “It’s just common sense. ”

Virginia will also lower the social gathering limit from 25 to 10 people and step up enforcement of a statewide mask mandate that Northam expanded on Thursday in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines.

« While Virginia new per capita cases are still lower than 43 other states, all five health regions in the Commonwealth are seeing spikes in COVID-19 cases, positive tests and hospitalizations, » a statement said of the governor.

Ontario expects to receive « a very small number » of Covid-19 vaccines in the coming days and will give priority to health workers in nursing homes and other high-risk facilities, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday. The province will give these workers the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine in December. 15 in Toronto and Ottawa.

Theaters, museums and cinemas as well as sports facilities will remain closed in France instead of reopening next week as planned, Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. A night curfew will take effect in December. 15 he said. Travel is now permitted throughout the country.

On Thursday around 14. 000 new cases reported, almost triple a target set by President Emmanuel Macron. He said the lockdown could be lifted by mid-December when an average of 5. 000 new cases a day would occur.

The Empire State reported Wednesday 10. 600 new cases, according to the data from the Covid Tracking Project, just before the record of Jan.. April.

New York City is driving the state’s surge and accounts for more than a quarter of all new cases. The hotspots are on Staten Island and on the western end of the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. The Mohawk Valley and Finger Lakes report the highest new trajectory of infection when they are scaled for population.

Still, the number of patients being hospitalized nationwide is about a quarter as high as it was in April when the coronavirus overwhelmed the healthcare system. Patients spend less time in the hospital and less often require intensive interventions such as intubation. Thanks to more sophisticated treatment, the virus is less likely to kill.

Sweden is trying to figure out how to expand the capacity of its health system after there are almost no ICU beds in Stockholm.

Stockholm’s intensive capacity hit 99% this week as infection rates soar in the largest Nordic capital. In all of Sweden there were only 148 beds in the intensive care unit on Thursday.

Efforts to expand capacity are hampered by a lack of trained staff, with many on sick leave after months of overtime. Others quit their jobs after the first wave of the pandemic in the spring.

The largest association of U. . S.. . The airline’s pilots are urging the government to give the cockpit crews priority over receiving the coronavirus vaccine to ensure air freight shipping is not disrupted.

Cargo airline pilots « have seen an alarming increase in Covid-19 exposure and infections, » said Joseph DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, in a letter to Senate lawmakers Wednesday.

Russia reported a monthly record death toll of 22 in October. 571, more than 80% above the previous high in May, according to the state statistics service. The data, released Thursday and based on death certificates, are believed to be more accurate than the daily numbers reported by the government’s Virus Response Office.

Russia has the fourth most common cases in the world. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said this week that her death rate is lower than many other countries.

Italy reported 887 new virus-related deaths Thursday, up from 499 the previous day, bringing the total to 62. 626 corresponds.

The cases started at 16. 999 to, compared to 12. 756 on Wednesday. Italy, which was Europe’s early epicenter of the pandemic last winter, reported nearly 1. 79 cases since the outbreak began.

A panel of external FDA advisors is discussing emergency use approval for the Pfizer Inc. Developed Covid-19 vaccine. and BioNTech SE. A vote at the virtual meeting is expected later Thursday, potentially clearing the way for the agency to make a decision on what the U should be. S.. . First vaccine.

A report from FDA staff this week said the Pfizer BioNTech shot was very effective in preventing Covid-19 and there are no safety concerns that would prevent it from being given an emergency clearance.

London has the highest rate of coronavirus cases in England according to the latest data, which will worry the U.. K. . The capital will be raised to the highest level of restrictions next week.

The city had a rate of 191. 8 cases per 100. 000 inhabitants in the week up to December. 6, Public Health England said Thursday. That compared to 158. 4 in the West Midlands region, where case rates have fallen the most.

Authorities in Germany are discussing stricter national restrictions ahead of Christmas, and some regions are already acting. Berlin will join Bavaria and Saxony with stricter measures. The capital plans to close all non-essential businesses and extend the school holidays until January. 10, said Mayor Michael Mueller on Thursday.

« At the moment, it is the worst of three worlds » with too many infections, high costs to support affected companies and public fatigue due to weeks of pandemic curbs, said Health Minister Jens Spahn.

The infection rate after seven days in people over 80 years of age is nearly 250 per 100. 000 inhabitants, announced the Robert Koch Institute on Thursday. That is around two thirds more than in the general population. Outbreaks in nursing homes are about twice as high as the first wave of the pandemic in spring, said RKI President Lothar Wieler.

President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani said he left the hospital « better than ever » after being admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center a few days ago with « severe symptoms » for Covid-19.

« My treatment from the nurses and staff at Georgetown Med Star Hospital has been wonderful, » said the former New York mayor in a tweet.

The South African government declared a second wave of coronavirus infections as the number of cases increased.

The wave is being driven by the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal provinces and the Gauteng economic center, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement on Wednesday. A 7-day moving average chart shows KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng gains are exponential, he said.

South Africa posted a record 6 on Wednesday. 709 infections, making a total of 828. 598 with 22. 574 deaths.

New coronavirus cases in Tokyo hit a record 602 on Thursday, breaking 600 for the first time.

While some blame a campaign promoting domestic travel for the resurgence of Covid-19 infections, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga this week unveiled a six-month extension of the measure in support of the economy.

U. . S.. . According to the Johns Hopkins University, deaths from Covid-19 topped 3 for the first time. 000 per day. That beats last week’s record deaths and is more than the number of lives lost in the U.. S.. . during the terrorist attacks of 11. September.

Coronavirus is infecting Americans with increasing frequency in the last few weeks of 2020. And this development is gradually becoming apparent in deaths: in just over a week in December, deaths were more than twice as high as in November, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

– With support from Ken McCallum, Jason Gale, Seyoon Kim, Jeff Sutherland, Muneeza Naqvi, Gregory White, Flavia Rotondi, Niclas Rolander, Nic Querolo, Rudy Ruitenberg, Danielle Bochove, Yueqi Yang and Andrew Ballard

Virginia, Ralph Northam, Coronavirus, Virginia Department of Health